By now you'd have to be in a coma not to know that on Monday August 21st there will be an eclipse of the Sun. Fox Astronomical Observatory in Broward County’s Markham Park will be open to the public from Noon until 5 PM to provide views of this event. Viewing from Fox Observatory, the eclipse will begin at approximately 1:26 PM. The maximum extent of the eclipse will occur at approximately 2:57 PM, at which time the solar disk will be approximately 80% covered. The eclipse event will end at approximately 4:20 PM.

For your safety, public eclipse observing will be possible through Observatory eye safety filtered telescopes and glasses. We cannot stress this warning strongly enough - even at the maximum, attempting to view the eclipse without proper eye protection will damage your eyesight and could easily cause blindness. Please do not ever attempt to view the sun, in eclipse or not, without the proper protective gear. Sunglasses absolutely will not protect you. Only use equipment that is certified safe for solar viewing, such as that which will be provided by the Observatory.

PLEASE NOTE: We have a very limited supply of eclipse glasses that will be made available on a first come, first served basis (one per FAMILY due to the number of people we expect) on the day of the event at Fox Observatory. We will distribute the glasses until our supply is exhausted. Given that the number of guests that we now expect to see at the event has exploded well beyond anything we ever initially expected, we do fully expect this supply of glasses to be quickly exhausted. We strongly suggest that you plan to bring your own eclipse glasses if you can do so in order to ensure that you'll be able to view the eclipse maximum yourself.

Did you procrastinate and now you can't find any glasses to purchase for the event? We've received numerous emails from desperate folks who are in the same boat as you are. Fear not - all is not lost! You can also safely view the eclipse with an easy DIY project for making a "pinhole eclipse projector". A google search for a number of ways to build your own pinhole based eclipse viewer can be found here. This is a really easy way to make your own safe and really inexpensive viewer in just a few minutes time. Bring your creation to our eclipse event and show off your handiwork!

Although the Park normally charges an admission fee on weekends and holidays, they will not be charging admittance during this event as it will occur on a week day. Admission to the Observatory whenever it is open to the public is always free. That said, bear in mind that we fund our operating expenses 100% from visitor donations and member dues, so please consider making a donation or becoming a member of the club when you visit.

Lastly, if you are planning on attending this event, please consider letting us know that by checking in on our Facebook eclipse event page.

Members and the public are welcome to enjoy a Saturday night under the South Florida Stars (Note: Members must display their background check badges when attending.) The Fox Astronomical Observatory is located inside of Broward County’s Markham Park. The Observatory is open to the public Saturdays from Sunset until midnight.

All are welcome. You can bring your own telescope and we can answer any questions you have. On rainy/cloudy nights we can still provide astronomy based presentations and videos, so visit us rain or shine!

If you arrive at the park before Sunset the toll taker at the front entrance will be able to direct you to the Fox Observatory inside the park. If you arrive after Sunset there will be nobody at the front entrance – when you get to the 4-way stop, turn left, then take the first right, come to the end of the circle. The observatory will be the flat roof building with the red lights. If you get lost please call the observatory at 954-384-0442 for directions.

If you arrive before Sunset the park charges an entrance fee of $1.50 per person. There is no admission fee to the observatory. We are a non-profit organization not funded by the County and donations are welcome.

There is no standard agenda as what we are able to see changes as the night sky changes.

Of course all observing is weather permitting, We can’t see through clouds or rain.

The South Florida Amateur Astronomers Association was founded in 1965, with as its principal motivation to provide information and create an opportunity to participate. Ever since, its members have been bringing the universe closer to all South Floridians. From the innocent wonder of the children to the amazement of the adults, every night is another great adventure.

The Fox Observatory houses many great pieces of viewing equipment. The primary observatory equipment consists of our 14 inch Schmidt-Cassegrain @ F/10, the amazing Brandon Refractor and several Dobsonian reflecting telescopes. A remotely controlled setup is under continual development in our small external dome and can be used to provide real time images to the public on screens inside the main observatory.